


Always You

by agoldengalaxy



Category: Free!
Genre: Boys In Love, Fireworks, Fluff, Love Confessions, M/M, Ryuugazaki Rei POV
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:13:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27058534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agoldengalaxy/pseuds/agoldengalaxy
Summary: Rei and Nagisa watch a fireworks show together.
Relationships: Hazuki Nagisa/Ryuugazaki Rei
Comments: 1
Kudos: 26





	Always You

**Author's Note:**

> binged 2 seasons of free and I love these two so much ;-; they’re so in love
> 
> kudos/comments always appreciated!

“Kinda weird to be here alone, isn’t it?”

Rei looked down, finding that Nagisa’s eyes were on him, shining as usual. They sat together, shoulder to shoulder on the grass, preparing to watch the spring fireworks. He smiled a little in return. “Yes, it is.”

Not to say, of course, that they hadn’t spent a lot of time together; no, it was the complete opposite. Ever since Haruka and Makoto graduated, the two of them had practically been inseparable. It had been hard at first without them, but they had each other, and that was what mattered.

Nagisa sighed, leaning back on his hands, stretching his legs out in front of him as he smiled up at the sky. “I wonder if this one will be more exciting than last year. I wanna tell Haru and Mako everything they missed!” He looked so relaxed, it made Rei smile again.

“Well, they’ll be coming home for break soon. I’m sure they’ll want to hear everything.” They’d spent a lot of time together, just the two of them. But every moment spent with him wasn’t quite like the last. Perhaps that was why he enjoyed his company so much.

The blond boy grinned and hopped to his feet. “I’m gonna go get us some ice cream! Chocolate like usual, right?” Rei couldn’t help but notice how bright his smile was; sort of like the moon.

“O-Oh, yes. Thank you.” As Nagisa ran off, Rei looked at the ground and smiled. He knew his favorite ice cream flavor, and he couldn’t even remember ever telling him that he liked chocolate the best. Nagisa was truly special.

He leaned forward, hugging his knees loosely as he glanced around at the other people in the park. It seemed to be mostly families with young children, and there were a few young couples as well. As he reached up to adjust his glasses, he couldn’t help but sigh. Love was something that couldn’t be learned from a book. He had no idea what it felt like or what it would look like, but just like swimming, he knew it would be something that could happen one day. He just didn’t really think about it much. It was the one thing about life he didn’t have the answers to.

He must have been spacing out, because soon enough an ice cream cone was hovering in front of his face. Blinking, he glanced up to find Nagisa standing in front of him, smiling brightly as he offered the dessert to him. “Earth to Rei! Whatcha thinkin’ about?”

Rei’s cheeks flushed a light pink as he took the cone with a quiet thank you, shaking his head. “Just...daydreaming, that’s all.”

“Huh, cool. Was it a good daydream?” he asked through a mouthful of strawberry, sitting back down beside him. Rei chuckled, shaking his head.

“I honestly barely remember what I was just thinking about,” he replied, because that was just easier, and he licked the side of his ice cream so that it wouldn’t drip all over him. “Anyway, thank you for the ice cream. And thank you for taking me to the park. I didn’t realize how much I needed fresh air tonight.” It was a bit of small talk, but it was changing the subject, at the very least.

Nagisa was already finishing up his ice cream - he’d always eaten very fast, for someone so small - and he smiled a little more genuinely, which for some reason made Rei’s chest hurt. “Well, I wasn’t gonna let you sit in your room and study when the festival is tonight! Besides, there’s no one I’d rather be here with.”

For a moment, he couldn’t find his voice. They were such sweet words, and he hadn’t expected them to come from the other. “That was...incredibly profound, Nagisa,” he said finally, blinking. He wondered why that meant so much to him; after all… “I feel the exact same way.”

His assurance created a smile on Nagisa’s face, and his eyes sparkled more than usual. Rei noticed they reflected the light of the stars in the most beautiful way. “Thanks! I mean it, ya know!” But before the taller boy could say anything more, Nagisa gasped, grabbing his arm. “The fireworks are about to start!”

Rei almost dropped what was left of his ice cream, glancing down at his friend, who had excitement written all over his face. And he was very close, gripping onto Rei’s arm in his happiness. Normally, he might push Nagisa away, but right now, it sort of...felt nice, for some reason. He popped the last of his cone in his mouth, and soon a whistling sound filled the air.

Both boys gasped as the sky exploded with blue, yellow and green, and Nagisa’s grip on his arm tightened just a little. “How beautiful,” Rei sighed softly, a smile pulling at his lips. He’d always enjoyed fireworks - and somehow they were even more enjoyable now that he was here with Nagisa. “Sorry, did you say something?” he asked, registering that the other had murmured something under his breath.

Nagisa pulled away, quickly shaking his head and laughing a bit nervously. “N-No, sorry. Was just talking to myself, that’s all.” Rei knew by now when Nagisa was lying and when he wasn’t, but he figured he shouldn’t press him. 

But he could have sworn that he had mumbled, “So are you.”

They fell quiet again after that, watching the fireworks in silence. The sky was filled with all sorts of different colors, but when he turned to look over at Nagisa again, he found those bright eyes staring at him rather than the sky. “What is it, Nagisa?”

A firework whistled, and Nagisa sat up on his knees, cheeks pink but a determined look on his face. “Rei.” He was taller than him this way, looking down at him. They stared into each other’s eyes for a few seconds, though it felt like an eternity. Nagisa’s were always warm and familiar. Just as he was going to ask if he was alright, the blond cupped his cheek, and pressed their lips together roughly.

The firework exploded behind them.

Rei’s eyes widened and everything else stopped. For those few seconds, the only person in the entire world was Nagisa. He tasted like strawberry and smelled like cotton. His mind was muddled of any thought, but something did occur to him. 

Was this what love was? Had he really known all along?

Nagisa eventually pulled back after what Rei knew was only a few seconds, though it felt like forever. His face was beet red as he sat back on his heels, staring breathlessly. “R-Rei, I -”

“It was you,” he whispered, blinking dazedly as his fingers gently brushed his own lips that were tingling. Every heart skip, every blush, every time he hadn’t known what to say...it all clicked. His stomach was full of  _ butterflies.  _ He straightened up, not taking his eyes off of the other. “It was always you.”

Another firework exploded and Nagisa blinked, before a huge smile spread across his red cheeks. And then he laughed, perhaps relieved, which was quite the welcome sound. Rei exhaled in disbelief, smiling a little himself, and they embraced each other, clinging onto each other’s jackets, perhaps wondering if it were all a dream.

But when they let go and turned back to watch the fireworks, they leaned back on their hands, pinky fingers just barely touching. And the colors that exploded in the sky seemed much brighter. It was beautiful, and it wasn’t a dream, though he was sure he’d be thinking about their kiss until they did it again.

The butterflies stayed in his stomach for the rest of the night.


End file.
